Disk clutch



Patented `July 30, EQZSL msx CLUTH.

Application mea september 16, 192s. serial No. 135,748.

l N* l n n g l This 1nvent1on relates to improvements 1n disk clutches, an object of which is to provide means Whereby'the operation of the disks of the clutch may be extended over a 1, greater distance than is the case with the ordinary disk clutch; Vthe object being tol give a softer action to prevent so called grabbing of the clutch.

- This invention is .intended to` provide spring meansfor engaging the disks of disk clutches which will cause the time engage ment to be increased fronrirst contact to ultimate-pressure contact, as well as to increase the distance through which the disks in contact will move from initial contact to final pressurevcontact and it is applicable to any present type of disk clutches. This construction will automatically cause the disks of the clutch to move through a greater distance than similar clutches not so equipped and willl give a gradually increasing and gradually diminishing pressure on the disk faces r'When the clutch is engaged or disengaged. f

Another object of the invention is to pro-v vide a substantially flat flexible disk'or annulus which .can beinstalled in any disk clutch without changing-its construction, to

improve the operation thereof, either one or two of these members being used in such clutches. V

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that at the present timethe use of corrugated plates inclutches is familiar, such 4 plates for' ,example as are seen in Patent 1,340,-

885 but the diiiculty with such plates is that each corrugated plate rubs against an adja-A cent platewith the result that the spring ef# feet of the corrugated plates is injured in a short time, and in any event `sueh plates cannot be used where they bear upon other plates faced with asbestos wearing surfaces, for the reason that theytear out the asbestos.

An object, therefore, of the 'present inven tion is to provide aspring disk or annulus so located that it will have no relative movement with respect to the plate upon which it bears, its action being to increase the period of contact between the position of the first contact and the position of the inalcontact.v

It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that with the ordinary dry plate clutch that the. driving engagement of the driven disk, and driving disk is'a matter of not more than a thirty-second of an inch' between initial contact and final position so that even though this distance is multiplied by the leverages usedon any given foot pedal that this time or dist-ance'engagement cannot he lengthened, and as the clutch wears itself smooth it becomes extremely small. 1

This causes the clutch to engage with greatv This distance or diskmovement multiplied v .by the leverages of ordinary foot pedals gives a distance of several inches, and in that way makes the clutch action much smootherl and softer for the car driver there being no tendency of the clutch to jerk the car when sud'- denly engaged.

' In the present case tw'o such springs have been shown but only one spring has been used and has been found to work satisfactorily. v

It Willalso be apparent that while one character of spring has been shown in the present case that the same effect may be attained with other'forms of springs acting upon the-j last disk of the series. Springs of this'char acter will, of course, act with anincreasing spring pressure from the'time of the begin` l ning of the contact of the plates With'each other, and with an increasing pressure up to thetime the full friction driving effect is applied to them by the pressure of the large compression spring. In this way the auxiliary springs act as an engaging force against the plates independently of the large V.

spring, the large spring'being held from completeengagenientwith the disk plates unt-il finally released by the foot whereupon the lighter springs substantially pass out of action as far as the development of friction its concerned, but duringA the intermediate sure of engagement upon the disks so highly desired to eHect a smooth starting of the car.

Another object effected by the-spring disks or annuli described herein is to providethe positions give the gradually increasing presclutch with an automatic fleiible contact between the driven and driving members which is` capable of correcting defects of alignment of said membersanu which is`in operation y throughout the engaging and disengaging periodsof'the clutch disks, as well as when the clutch is running underfull load.

The result of this isthatthedriven clutch unit is flexibly connected to the driving clutch unit notwithstanding the fact that the pressures on the disks are heavy lenough/toetfectl the necessary driving force.

disks of the clutch automaticallychange the amount of slippage between sald members andwill, always allow an amount of slip nec- A second result of this application` of the disks herein described is that during the period of engagement of the driving and driven disks that this spring disk orv annulus will effect at all times an automatic equalization of pressures on said disks.

Another result attained by this spring disk or annulus is that it will during the time of the engagement of the driving and driven essary for the smooth-engagement of the clutch at any speed or load, and without allowing a continuous slippage to occur. Other objects of the invention .will be apparent as the description proceeds.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying-drawings in which the same reference numeral is applied to the same' portion throughout the several figures ofthe drawings and of which there may be modifications.

Figure 1 is a detailed view in vertical section of the clutch and driving member parallel to theJdriv-ing shaft,

Figure 2 is a side'elevation of one of the inner driving disks,

Figure 3is a side elevation of one of the v outer driving disks showing a break in one of the asbestos rings used in connection therewith,

Figure 4 is a sectional view ofthe driving disk shownl in Figure 3, on the dotted line 4 4 of Figure 3,/ u f Figure 5 is a side elevationl of one of the spring disks,and

Figure-6 is .an edge view of one of the I spring disks, said disks in actual practice being about agthto 1/4 of an inch from one side tothe other side across the corrugated portion, and being made of steel of approximately sixteen gauge sheet, although the exact thickness is immaterial to the present invention. y In the drawings the numeral 1 represents vthe fly wheel of an engine or other` driving member, which fly wheel has the hub 2 secured to the driving shaft 3. The driven shaft is indicated at 4 and it has a shoulder a/t 5 to form washer 6.

' The driving-shaft 3 and the drivenlshaft 4 are held in alignment by means of a projection 7 on the'drivinl shaft which extends into a recess in the end of the driven shaft 4.

an abutment for the springy The fly wheel has a plurality of pins8v a plurality of ears 15 and 16 which engage the inner pins-10.

The outer rings have on each side thereof as indicated at 17 and friction facing rings 17', and while only five friction driving rings are' illustrated in the/ present *Y clutch, it is common to have a larger number, if desired.

Surrounding and slidable on the larger portion of the shaft 4 is a sleeve 19, said sleeve being connected to a spring housing 20, which spring housing in turn has a ring 21 atl its inner end screwed thereinto in substantially the salue way as the sleeve 19 is secured to hold a heavy spiral spring 22 compressedwhen the clutch is in use. Ordinarily some form of an anti-friction bearing 23 is'used when it is desired to compress the spring22 still more to release the clutch, any suitablevmeans being used to connect said ball bearing to the foot pedal.l

- It will be seen from an examination of Figure 1 that three of the rings 12 bearupon two of the friction materialbovered rings 11;

theouter pair of rings 12 bear resptively upon one of the rings 25 against the' disk 9, lwhile the other one bears upon one of the rings 25 in engagement with the disk 26 carried by the housing 20. The rings 25 are made of `tempered spring steel corrugated radially to be about three-sixteenths to one quarter of an inch high when laid upon' a flat y surface, as indicated by the two dotted lines 27-28 on Figure 6, and the material isthin enough so that under a suitable pressure it will flatten from one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an inch, dimensions being given merely to indicate the possible limits of acton. v A

The operation of the clutch is as follows: It will be seen that the outer rings 11 are engaged and driven by androtated at all times. with the pins 8, but they are 1ongitudi.

nally slidable with respect to saidypins.. Similarly the rings 12 are engaged with, and are driven by, and rotate at all -times with the pins 10, and with respect to which they are slidable longitudinally. The rings 25 of which either one or two mayy be used, do not have any driving ears riphery of the pins 10, and they have no rellatiye movement circumferentially with respect to the ring 12, but merely serve to increase the time and distance of engagement or lugs, but simply ride looselv on the peof the driving and driven rings whereby the clutch is prevented from gra bing. It will thus be seen that both of the spring rin s shown in the present instance serve on y to move theiry adjacent rings 12 a short distance away from' the two members 9 and 26 when the vclutch is released. The clutch is released by pulling onl the bearing 23 to the right, Figure l1, thereby still further compressing` the s ring 22 and disengaging all of the disks of t e clutch from each other.

When the clutch is to be engaged the pressure on the bearing 23 is released, the'spring 22 is allowed to expand and it will to some degree flatten the two springs 25 whereby suicient friction is placed upon the driving and driven rings to start the car or other machinery to be driven, slow enough to prevent any breakage of the parts.

It will be furtherl understood by those skilled in the art that while but one form of disk clutch has been shown, that the rings 25 have been, and are being applied to many different forms of disk clutches, the only necessity being that the ring may be applied to the clutch in such a manner that there is no relative movement circumferentially of either of the members with which it is in contact, such a movement tendin .to wear the spring member in places, an thus impair its usefulness.

Experience with ycarsl equipped with a spring of this character shows that it is pos-.

sible to start them readily in the high speed without jerking, whereas the same car and the same clutch without-this spring produced a ve'y disagreeable acceleration even in low spee p Having thus describedl my invention, what I desire to s ecure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows, but modifications may be made in carrying out the invention as shown in the drawings and in the above particularly described form thereof, within the purview of the annexed claim.

In a friction clutch of the multiple disk type, an auxiliary pressure compensating device taking the form of a washer-like ring lying between one of the clutch members and one of the relatively non-rotatable clutch disks, said ring being of spring sheet metal and radially corrugated in a manner whereby it may be flatened out when pressure is applied tor the disk and will freely transmit throughout the lring unequal stresses developed at any place thereon, so as to compensate for inequality of alignment or pressure of the clutch parts.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of July, A. D. 1926.

` OTTO W; HAHN. 

